Rick Butler

Brett's right, It won't work. But if it's a narrow nose you need on your RSV seat, I can make that happen. Rick

Gary, You take the words out of my mouth when I say that "There is not just one seat solution that will work for all butts" where not all butts are created equal. And I think this is a perfect segway to my latest pillowtop modification. Recently I had the opportunity to make a unique followup second change to a pillowtop seat for a customer who wanted me to raise the seat level back to the original seat height. On all of my modifications, I remove material from the foundation foam to remove pressure points and create a pocket for the rider to sit into, rather than sit on. This customer had a special situation with one leg where I need to change the angle of the leg and the only way I could do that was to bring the seat height back up to the original height. This meant I had to ad foam and to do this I did what I have done on several sport touring and adventure bike seats, and that was to cut out a flat section of the seat bottom and glue in a layer of firmer foam and then rework the shape. I have found a closed cell foam that is used for gym mats in 1 and 2" thicknesses that has really worked out nice for applications like this where I need to rebuild a seat. I have always felt that a firmer seat is a better seat and this change has allowed me to control the shape of the seat more to where I can usually even make it wider and still stay with the stock cover. Then I still cover the entire seat with a layer of memory foam to help reduce pressure points. And it still allows the rider to settle down to the firmer foundation. When I test fitted this seat on my bike it really felt nice and my first thought was that this was a change that that I needed to to do with my Butt Butler Pillowtop? So I've attached a few pictures of what I did to this pillowtop. And for you folks that would like a firmer seat, this may be a addition I may make to my Butt Butler seat mods. Now like I do for covers that are attached with pop rivets and seats with heating elements, I will charge a modest fee. So let me know what you think of this.....and later I'll probably make this into a post of it's own. Rick

Jim, If you can find a set of RSV pillowtop seats, they really rework out much nicer than your 99 seats because of the more flexible covers and the extra layer of foam to give it that pillow effect. But your 99 seats really rework nice and will give you a nice comfortable ride after I get through with them. I just got my Member Vendor Classified ads reloaded, so let me know if I can help, Rick

I like it Don, but like all things new it will take time in getting used to the changes.....especially all of this RED? Now do we have to rebuild all of our Classified ads or did you save them so you can reload them? Curious minds need to know, Rick

Ok Don, You already know my answer......YES, I'd buy a new Venture in a heartbeat because I have an image to uphold. Yeah, I'm pretty much the icon when you think of a loyal Venture bigot. When Yamaha dropped the Venture in 94, did I follow most of my friends and buy a new Goldwing.......no, I found a new leftover 93 and bought it instead. But I didn't jump on the new Venture in 99 (like you did) rather I rode my 93 until 2000 before I bought a new 2001. I was really wanting a black Venture, but when I totaled my 93 on Push Mountain Road in Arkansas in 2000, I had move on a new red Venture. But I redeemed myself in 2002 when Yamaha finally came out with the Midnight and traded for one. And after 140k on the 02, I decided to opt for a backup 07 Midnight for a long trip to Yellowstone and Glacier we made in 2012. Now remember the prototype that Yamaha put out in 05 on the new V-Max and then didn't release and put into production until 2009? And the improvements were pretty staggering especially with the suspension and abs brakes, not to mention the 1700cc fuel injected V-4 engine and completely redesigned drive line. Why on earth would Yamaha put all of that time and money into such improvements on a iconic muscle bike that hardly has any sales to speak of? Well I will suggest that they are doing it for us before they drop this new drive line into the new Venture, along with who knows what in other improvements to the bike. Like maybe 2 versions.....an Ultra or Road Glide clone....with 1900ccs? Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I have been waiting for this change for at least 3 years now and I think we are just about ready to hear about it in a week or so. I was at a Yamaha dealership in Kerrville, TX this weekend and I heard from the management of this shop that Yamaha is going to make a big announcement on 4 or 5 new bikes on the 19th of Oct. And everyone I talked to at this dealership told the same story and the Venture was going to be one of the bikes. So, has anyone else heard about this announcement? Rick

Carlos, I've replaced them countless times when I rework a seat and I don't charge extra to do it. I just drill and tap the insert and then run a stainless allen bolt down from the inside and it's better than new. Rick http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=3738&title=butt-butler-seat-mod&cat=25

Good looking seat Doug, I've never met Rich but I know where his shop is on the way to the Kingston Ferry and I have a good friend from Poulsbo who Rich recently built a seat for his Victory Gunner. And yes he does build a good, sound, comfortable seat but when I found out what he charges, my first thought was "My Butt Butler is not charging enough"? But then my shop is not as sophisticated as his (no guest quarters) and he has more employees and a great upholsterer. But you also mention that your 83.5 has a second gen trunk. I could be wrong, but based upon the color of the bike I would say that this is an 85.......which did have a larger trunk that was later carried forward to the 86 (with an adjustable passenger backrest) and top loading bags. If your trunk has a key lock to remove it from the rack, that is a key indicator that it is an 85. Regardless,I know you are going to enjoy your new seat, so take care of it. And from what I can see from the rest of the bike it really looks clean and well taken cared of. Rick

Since you upgraded the rear shock, it's only right that you also drop in a new set of fork springs while you are changing fork oil. The springs in your 99 have more than lost their sag by now. And by raising the front of the bike back up where it belongs, it will help out that strange quirk you are feeling in the front tire. Rick

Just one note on this.....which Progressive makes in their installation instructions. Once you get springs with the right spring rate for the weight of the bike and the driver, you no longer need to add air to forks. The only reason Yamaha provides air to either the front forks or rear shock is to set the preload or ride height of the bike for additional weight above the average weight they designed the bike for. Hope this helps, Rick

If you want to see what makes Cartridge Emulators work with dampening forks, here is a link to an article that explains everything: http://www.racetech.com/page/title/Emulators-How%20They%20Work Hope this helps, Rick

Does anyone have a Contour Roam? I've had one for several years now and it's probably the most versatile camera I've owned. What I really like about it is the nice large slide on/off switch that I can use on top of my helmet without having to look at it. And with a 4gb card, you can record a long time.....and it's got a mini usb so you can charge it up in a tank bag or trunk while traveling. http://store.contour.com/collections/cameras/products/contourroam2 Rick

:rotf::rotf::rotf:Yeah, they said the same thing in 94 and it didn't work then either. And rather than get a new Wing, I bought a new left over 93 and rode it until 2000 when I bought my first RSV.

Guys, They've done this to us before....when they dropped the Venture in 94 and then came out with the V-4 Royal Star line in 96. Then we didn't get our Venture back until 99. Now my money is still on taking the new V-Max drive line and dropping into a new touring cruiser chassis with updated electronics and blue tooth communications, like some of what you see today with the new Ultra and others. And I'd like to see both a frame mounted fairing like the Road Glide and a handlebar Ultra fairing like we have now. We just need to be patient, it's only been one year, Rick

Ok Friends, After 50 days and 9,326 miles, Linda and I finally rolled back into home at 7:30 last night. It was a great trip with no mishaps, etc and we saw a bunch of country to include 5 national parks. I'll post a link to my pictures soon. On a special note for this trip......the Alaskan sheep skin pads I put on my pillowtop seats before we left were worth every penny I spent for them. So, I'm now available to get back to work reworking seats as needed. Rick

Ok Friends, After 50 days and 9,326 miles, Linda and I finally rolled back into home at 7:30 last night. It was a great trip with no mishaps, etc and we saw a bunch of country to include 5 national parks. I'll post a link to my pictures soon. So, I'm now available to get back to work reworking seats as needed. Rick

Kelsey, Before I did anything, I'd ask the previous owner if he (or she) still had the stock seats? Rick

Bert, We have ridden through BC several times and you are right....you have not seen a real mountain until you ride through BC. But we are killing 2 birds with one stone on this trip....an Alaskan cruise and an Alaskan bike trip. After we finally took a Caribbean cruise we figured an Alaskan cruise was the next option. But that would mean flying to Seattle and not having the bike while in Alaska....another bummer. So when I looked into the Alaskan Ferry system, I felt this could really work.....take 11 days getting to Seattle, the ferry to Alaska, having the bike while there and then the ferry back before heading for home. I'm taking a SPOT, so if anyone want to follow our tracks I'll post the link to my findmespot page when we take off. Rick

Friends, I just thought I'd let everyone know that the end of May, I will not be taking on any seats to be reworked. On June 28th, I will be a away from my shop until the middle of August, where Linda and I will be on a 55 day ride to Alaska and back. We are finally getting Alaska off of our bucket list. We are going to take 11 days to get to Seattle and then take the Alaska Ferry to Haines and then ride the remaining 762 miles to Anchorage where we will spend almost 2 weeks seeing everything we can before heading back to Haines to catch the ferry back to Seattle. This is when I expect to change my rear tire before we head south to ride the coast all the way to LA where we will spend a couple of days riding the Santa Monica and San Bernardino mountains before heading east back to Texas. Therefore as of the end of May, I'll be getting my bike and trailer ready for this trip. Hopefully this will not be an issue as most of you should also be riding and unable to give up your seats to send to me. I'll let everyone know when I get home.

Jeff is right....and unless you are a EE Gary just makes our heads spin with his responses. So just save yourself some grief and buy Larry's harness.....he really makes a nice clean harness for these horns, which is pretty much plug and play: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=3727&title=stebel-horn-wiring-harness&cat=24 Rick

Or......remove the air schrader valve and squirt an ounce of light fork oil into the line. This will run down the sides and lube the seal. Rick

Yeah Brian, I got to watch this documentary on the big screen, the first showing in Dallas with a bunch of my m/c friends......and it got emotional for me during several parts. As compared to the other classic m/c doumentary "On any Sunday", the entire story was told by each individual rather than just one person...Bruce Brown. It was especially interesting that Mert Lawwill was in both documentaries. But what really got me was what the older British guy (who had ridden around the world) said: "Motorcycles have put me in touch with wonderful people. And because of this I have an elevated idea about how good everyone in the world is." Is that not a profound emotional statement or what. It was this documentary that enforced my general feeling that traveling North America on 2 wheels is a passion that I will never loose Rick

Guys, One of the guys on a local BMW forum just posted this sale that the Battery Mart was having: http://www.batterymart.com/newsletter/flash/flash_pc680.jpg This was for one of their BMW batteries, so I found the one for our RSV and they have it for $99 (plus free ground shipping) rather than $160. If you are in the market for a new battery, this appears to be a good deal? http://www.batterymart.com/c-yamaha-xvz13-royal-star-venture-battery.html Rick

They appear to be the (4) rubber water jacket plugs held in place by the metal cylinder side plates? The ones you screw the top threaded end of a spark plug into to remove. If these are the plugs, they should fit snugly into the hole? Hope this helps, Rick

Interesting Don, Looks like a bike I would like to take to the track Rick

No Jim, You do not have oil issue. These bolts go into the oil gantry to the cams.....so make sure you use the short zinc coated allen bolts rather than any of the other longer bolts, or you will close off the oil passage to the cams. And don't worry about any thread sealant. Rick